University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

UWM is a public research university in Milwaukee with roughly 16,800 undergraduates across 8 colleges and 3 schools, offering 100-plus undergraduate majors and more than 150 graduate programmes, with a reported acceptance rate between 88% and 97%. Its merit scholarship for international students is described by an official listing as 'up to USD 6,000 per academic year (USD 3,000 per semester)', renewable each year to a maximum of four years, allocated selectively on academic excellence, applied to tuition and open to all international nationalities. UWM makes a point a Kazakh family will find useful: 'Milwaukee appeals to many international students because the city has a low cost of living compared to coastal U.S. cities', putting estimated living expenses at about USD 15,000 for an academic year. All international students pay an International Student Fee on top of tuition.